Just for the Summer

Abby Jimenez

- 4.5 • 875 Ratings

- $11.99

- $11.99

Instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club Pick!
This witty, slow-burn rom-com is the "ideal beach read." --Elle
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

All-too-relatable family drama adds a refreshing sense of realism to Abby Jimenez’s meet-cute romance. Emma and Justin share the “gift” of always being the last person their exes date before finding “the one.” Dating each other might break their respective curses, but his current family problems and her ongoing PTSD stand in the way of their happiness. Jimenez delicately balances the seriousness of mental health issues with the excitement of a blossoming romance. She provides just enough details about the two characters’ mothers—one facing a jail term and the other struggling with bipolar disorder—so that we completely understand why Emma and Justin’s relationship can at times feel so fragile. But Jimenez also gives the two lovebirds enough space to actually work through their issues. Much like the friends and siblings who add to the warmth of their story, you’ll be rooting for the couple at the heart of Just for the Summer.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY FEB 5, 2024

Bestseller Jimenez (Yours Truly) delivers an emotional tour de force in this intense tale of love, loss, and childhood trauma. Emma's life has been defined by the chaos caused by her unstable mother, Amber, who abandoned her for long stretches of her childhood. Now a traveling nurse, Emma avoids putting down roots and doesn't form emotional bonds outside of her best friend, Maddy. When she does date, her exes always seem to go on to find the love of their lives immediately after the breakup. After Emma and Maddy stumble on a Reddit thread from a man with the same "curse"—every woman he dates meets "the one" after dumping him—she impulsively reaches out to commiserate, putting her in the orbit of cute, funny, and strong Justin Dahl. Justin's life is in a state of upheaval—his mother is about to serve a prison sentence for embezzlement and he's taking custody of his young siblings—but he falls hard for Emma, who takes a temporary nursing gig in Minneapolis to explore their chemistry and hopefully break their shared curse. When all hell breaks loose in Emma's life after shocking family secrets come to light, will their relationship withstand the emotional fallout? Jimenez has a clear-eyed and empathetic take on how childhood trauma can affect adult relationships, and keeps the story grounded in the characters' complex and believable emotional realities. Readers will be deeply moved. This review has been updated to remove spoilers and correct the misspelling of a character's name.

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